How to Get Upper Dentures

An upper denture is a prosthetic appliance made by a dentist. It is not a procedure that can be done at home. An upper denture replaces all of the upper teeth. Teeth can be lost due to a variety of reasons, though the most common loss is due to gum disease, decay or injury to the mouth. A patient may need to have a denture made because theirs no longer fits or it is worn out; or, because the teeth are diseased and need to be removed, necessitating a denture being made.

Instructions

• 1

  Schedule an appointment with a dentist. If you do not have a dentist, the American Dental Association, ada.org or 1800dentist.com can refer you to a reputable dentist in your area by specialty. A general dentist can handle your denture, but a prosthodontist specializes in artificial teeth. Inquire when speaking with the office about insurance coverage, they may be able to tell you what yours will cover.

• 2

  Arrive at the chosen dental office 15 minutes prior to the appointed time. A health history that will need to be filled out before seeing the dentist. This gives the dentist information necessary to assess health and screens for certain heart conditions that could cause complications in dental treatment. It is also the time when financial issues such as insurance and co-pay will be handled.

• 3

  Allow the dentist to take full mouth x-rays if upper teeth are still present. The dentist will need to know their condition prior to making a determination that dentures are necessary. If teeth are not present, the dentist may still want x-rays to check the condition of the remaining bone that will hold the denture.

• 4

  Submit to an oral examination by the dentist. If he feels dentures are indicated, he will take preliminary impressions of the teeth for an immediate denture, or the gums in the event the teeth are already missing, for the purpose of creating a custom tray. At this point, the patient is usually rescheduled for another appointment to continue the procedure.

• 5

  Return for the next scheduled appointment. If you are already missing teeth, this appointment will be for a final impression with a custom-made acrylic tray made from the previous impression. If teeth are present, it will be to get a bite registration in wax for the immediate denture. Schedule the next appointment to continue the procedure.

• 6

  Return for the next appointment. For a routine denture, this will be a wax bite registration in order for the laboratory to make the new denture bite properly, minimizing the amount of adjustment needed post-denture delivery. Both shade and shape of the acrylic teeth will be chosen by the dentist and the patient for either routine or immediate dentures. Make another appointment to return for the next step of the procedure.

• 7

  Return to the dental office. This is an important visit for the immediate denture patient. This is usually the appointment where the dentist removes the teeth and places the denture over the open sockets where the upper teeth were. The patient will be instructed not to remove the denture for at least 24 hours. If this is for the next step in a routine denture, it will be for a "try-in." A try-in is all of the artificial teeth set in a wax denture for the patient to wear for a few minutes while he checks his appearance and decides if the teeth meet his approval. It will be necessary to schedule one more appointment for either type of denture.

• 8

  Attend the next scheduled dental appointment. For the immediate denture patient, this will be a post-operative check. The dentist will remove the denture from the surgical area and perform adjustments inside the denture where it may be rubbing the gums too hard as well as adjusting the bite if necessary. For the routine denture patient, this appointment will be for delivery of the denture and for the dentist to do any minor adjustments necessary on the bite.